The essence of change as a Christian

I've been a Christian for almost 40 years...and I still regularly try to improve myself in the same way that the world prescribes.

You see, the world would tell you that in order to change, you must work to alter a particular behavior. You must either fight against it, or you must work to bring it out more. For instance, almost everyone agrees that we should "become more patient" as we mature. In order to achieve that, the world says that we should work hard in ourselves to foster patience...to seek patience...to TRY to be more patient.

Unfortunately, with  lot of hard work, we can achieve some success in this way. However, this is not how the Bible or the Lord taught us how to change.

The Lord's method for change is radically different than this. In fact, it's not only radically different, His method itself is radical. It can be summed up in His words to His disciples..."take up your cross and follow me."

Jesus never tells us that we should work hard to develop one characteristic or suppress an unwanted characteristic. Instead, He tells us to take up an instrument of death...the cross...in order to destroy that part of us in which our negative characteristics reside.

The way of Jesus is to destroy our flesh, not to change it.

The way of the cross is that I become more patient as my flesh is increasingly destroyed and the Holy Spirit within me can express that patience more through me. With the Holy Spirit residing within me, I have the ability to show perfect patience. but my flesh prevents it from being seen.

Let me try a word picture. The Bible tells us that we are vessels with the capacity to carry the Holy Spirit within us. Those who establish a close trusting relationship with Christ are given the Holy Spirit who comes to reside in us.

But frankly, within each of us, there are characteristics that don't mix well with the Holy Spirit. This would include our self-centeredness, our desire for control as well as our wrong desires. The Bible calls that part of us our flesh. Since our flesh is most often what the world around us sees, it is like the lining of the vessel we call us. That discolored lining prevents the world from seeing the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us in Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self control. All things we should want to exhibit. The problem is, we are all trying to make our flesh more loving, joyful, peaceful etc. I don't know about you, but with me it really isn't working all that well.

If instead, we were to allow the Lord to scrape away the flesh from within us, the natural fruit of the Holy Spirit can shine through.

It's hard to remember though...I'm constantly trying to change the flesh within me instead of just allowing God to destroy it.

We truly change through the process of dying...not the process of trying.